


A Bad Combination

by kaise531



Category: Room of Swords (Webcomic)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:14:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27291031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaise531/pseuds/kaise531
Summary: This is based off an assumption that Kodya's soothe power opens a connection between his and the other person's mind. Combine that with the Black Box and...Also, Happy 100 fics!!!!!(And Thank you to Alvara for sending me a tutorial on how to add the color!)
Relationships: Gyrus Axelei/Kodya Karevic
Comments: 5
Kudos: 31





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 1, now in full color!! (I really hope this works like its supposed to...)

**Kodya didn’t understand. He couldn’t.**  
“This isn’t over.” Those words were burned into his brain the moment he heard them.

He knew what he had to do, but  **о боже** , he didn’t understand.

Tears streamed from his eyes. He didn’t even try to wipe them as he grabbed the side of Gyrus’ face with all the strength he had and  **paralyzed** it. With the distraction, Kodya reached back for the arm holding the sword and immobilized it as well. He  _ ripped  _ the sword from Gyrus’ useless hand.  
The tears in his eyes blurred his vision and made that gash on his cheek burn.

He didn’t hesitate for a second. All those years under Gyrus’ wing had trained him not to.

He knew he had made the cut, Gyrus’ strangled gasp and the  _ gush _ of blood told him as much, but in that moment Kodya was no longer thinking. 

With the deed done, with his love’s blood on his hands, he ran to Don. Everything felt blurry, but not due to the tears. Don’s  _ voice _ felt far away as he said something to Gyrus about being abandoned.

Gyrus’ words however, were as clear as day.

He laughed, and a rush of red followed.  “I didn’t think you’d have it in you.”

Gyrus’ eye was trained on Don as it seemed to glow, to burn with  **hatred** .  “But it doesn’t matter.”

“You just lost all of your swords to the shadow army. The dream is over.”

“I’m still..”  Gyrus’ body was  _ failing _ him now, the pool of red below him ever growing. He coughed before continuing.  “..winning…”

Kodya felt like a man possessed. Again Don’s _words_ escaped him. He told him that Gyrus was _dying_ , that they needed to run, but Kodya couldn’t stop himself. He let go of Don and touched Gyrus’ face one last time to **soothe** him as beams of green and blue **enveloped** them. 

“Kodya!!” Finally, Kodya’s mind cleared. He snatched his hand from Gyrus, hoisted Don onto his back, and ran.  
He could hear the  _ explosion _ behind him. Tears continued to fill his eyes. He could barely see the medbay sign ahead when his legs gave out underneath him  and the world turned dark...

* * *

**Kodya’s eyes opened, and he sat up blearily.**  
It seemed no matter what he did, that  **memory** found its way back to him in his dreams. What the survivors in the Room of Swords had deemed  **The Incident** . Kodya ran a hand through his hair and sighed, looking at the empty space next to him. Had that moment only been 3 months ago? It felt like yesterday, and at the same time, years away.

Ah- his eye was  _ bothering _ him again. Even after so long, the burn on his face still stung physically and emotionally. He should get up and see Nephthys.

As he dressed, he spotted the outline of  **someone** or something on the bed, but as soon as he turned fully, it was gone. He rubbed his tired eyes and hoped it was his imagination.

Strange things had been happening to him lately. He had strange emotions that weren’t quite his own, and his dreams were replaced by memories. It felt as if there was a faint  _ whisper _ at the back of his head when he looked at certain things or people. And the most shocking, these  **specters** that he could never look directly at.

There were times when he felt like he was dreaming, when he was perfectly awake. Kodya shook his head to clear the feeling, and walked out of the room.

A  **sadness** that wasn’t his washed over him.

* * *

**Kodya stepped out into the common room.**  
He was immediately met by  _ stares _ , something that had become so common after the incident that he barely thought about it now. He already knew what they thought of him.

Right on cue, Kodya felt a rising sense of  **guilt** . Another emotion that wasn’t his. Kodya hastened his pace.

“And where are you going so fast, Karevic?” Ragan  _ sneered _ , stepping in front of him. The  **guilt** rose higher, both toward himself and toward Ragan. Kodya stayed as monotone as possible.

“The Medbay.” He couldn’t look her in the eye. Not since these strange feelings started.  “I’m… feeling sick.”

Ragan’s face gave an annoyed look.  “Yeah sure, okay. Get better.” As she walked away, Kodya could hear her  _ scoff _ and mutter,  “Like I believe that.” 

Kodya tried not to let it bother him. Or at least not to show it. He could feel a hint of  **indignation** at Ragan’s words, but the  **guilt** remained.

* * *

**The Medbay has been a lot less busy lately.**  
No-one had even thought about training, so Nephthys didn’t get many visitors anymore.

When the doors had finally slid open, Kodya was greeted by an empty room, save for Nephthys, who was busying herself by making some heartbeet pills. When the doors shut, the noise brought her out of her focus.

“Oh hi, Kody! I almost didn’t hear you come in.” Finally placing her eyes on the man, her smile dropped.  “Is something wrong?”

“...My eye is bothering me again.”

“Oh, poor thing, come sit down with me.” Nephthys sat down on a bed and motioned for Kodya to do the same.

Kodya sat down and closed his eyes as Nephthys planted a small  **kiss** on his right cheek. He sighed as he felt the sting subside.

“Now, was there anything else you wanted to talk about?” Kodya looked down and away at that. He opened his mouth to say something-

Nephthys looked him directly in the eye for the first time since he walked in.  “I know what you’re going to say and I won’t hear it. I don’t know what’s been going on lately, but you’ve been acting so strange. Please tell me what’s wrong!” She placed a hand on the man’s shoulder.

He tensed, and there was a whisper of  _ please _ at the back of his mind. He closed his eyes.

“It’s… Hard to explain. You might think I’m crazy.”

“Kody, you know I would never think that of you..”

Kodya’s eyes opened, but stayed looking down.  “Well maybe I do.”

“Kody...”

He took a deep breath.  “It started after  **the Incident** .” Nephthys made a small gasp.  “I get these strange feelings- emotions that aren’t mine when I do certain things, or look at certain people.”

“Aren’t yours? How so?”

“Like I said, it’s hard to explain.” Kodya ran a hand through his hair.  “It’s like I’m watching someone else experiencing the same things that I am. The emotions I get don’t match up with what I’m actually feeling.”

Nephthys thought for a moment.  “What do you feel when you look at me?”

Kodya raised his head and stared, letting the foreign emotions take him.  “... **Gratitude** . And  **guilt** . Though I feel guilt when I look at most things.”

“And the others? What do you feel when you look at, say Oli?”

Kodya’s eyes slipped closed once more.  “Like I’ve told him a  **lie** .”

“Hmm.. Is there anything else, other than these feelings?”

“I see things sometimes. But when I look at them, they disappear.”

“What kinds of things?”

“People, usually. They’re faint and I can never make out many details.”

“...Wh-” 

* * *

**The Medbay doors slid open.**  
“Ah, mi amiga! Just who I wanted to see!” Don wheeled himself forward.  “I’ve been doing those upper body exercises like you suggested, and I can go a lot faster now!”

Nephthys perked up.  “That’s great, Don!”

The next bit of conversation was lost on Kodya. The feelings came in waves that nearly knocked him down.  **Fear** and **anger** and  **disgust** gripped him. The whisper rose to a demand inside his mind.  _Get. Away. Now._

Kodya didn’t even try to clear his head, it never worked with Don. Vaguely aware he was  _ shaking _ , he muttered to Nephthys that he just remembered he had something urgent to do, and left the room.

He ran past the common room and into the bedroom hallway as soon as the door closed. He couldn’t focus and blindly felt for the button. Tense seconds passed until he found it and slipped into the too-large bedroom.

He leaned against the wall and slid down, attempting to calm himself. That was it. The worst part of it all. Slowly, the shaking ceased and his heart rate returned to normal.

The  **guilt** returned.


	2. II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its finally here!!! sorry it took so long, it sounds cliche but school has been kicking my ass

**Kodya didn’t know how long he sat there.**  
It must have been hours, as he was brought out of his stupor by the announcement for lunch over the intercom system. He sighed and rose to his feet. If he didn’t come out and eat, Neph would worry. 

The common room was filled with tables as was usual at this time of day, but it was less bustling than before. He knew those 12 faces weighed heavily on everyone’s minds. 

The eyes were back on him as soon as he entered. He felt a **technicolor** of emotions fill him as he scanned the crowd for an empty table. Soon enough, his eyes landed on his and Nephthys’ usual spot. He got some food from the buffet and sat down. 

When Nephthys finally came up to the table, Kodya had barely eaten. She sat down beside him. 

Feeling awkward under Nephthys’ stare, Kodya tried to look like he was going to eat some more. She saw through it immediately. 

“Kody...” Nephthys started in a soft voice. “If there’s anything else you want to talk about-”

“I really don’t want to talk about this right now.” Kodya cut her off. And right away he **regretted** it. “...I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have..”

“It’s okay, I won’t push you.”

* * *

**An awkward beat passed between them.**  
Nephthys hesitated, and tried once again at a conversation. “...Everyone’s been getting kind of antsy lately. I wonder when they’ll start up missions again.”

Kodya sat up a little at that. “Soon, I hope. We can’t just wait around forever.” _and a mission might take all of this strangeness off my mind_ , he adds internally. 

Kodya felt an odd  _ coldness _ on the back of his hand. He glanced briefly in front of himself and started. The ghost he had seen this morning was closer, and it stayed that way even when he looked directly at it. Most importantly, the thing had taken his hand in its own. The gesture seemed almost..  **apologetic** . But in an instant, it was gone.

“Kodya? Are you alright?” Nephthys said, worried.

He tried to compose himself.  “It’s n-” He stopped suddenly at the look in Nephthys’ eyes. He sighed, covering the hand the ghost had taken with his own.  “...Remember those things I told you about? The people I see sometimes?”

“Yes?” She encouraged.

“There was one. Just now. It startled me.”  He looked at his hands, trembling ever so slightly. “..It’s never been so close.”

Nephthys placed a hand over Kodya’s folded ones.  “Are you ok?”

Kodya continued to stare.  “I… Don’t know.”

Nephthys looked around. They were gaining attention, and it was obvious she wasn’t going to be able to convince him to eat something right now.

Hesitantly, she said,  “...How about we go somewhere else for a while? To sit down?”

Kodya sighed.  “да. Okay.”

Kodya allowed himself to be guided away from the table and into the bedroom hallway.

* * *

**Stupid, Stupid, Stupid.**  
Locking Kodya in a room without any explanation was stupid.  
Thinking Don didn’t have a plan if he attacked was stupid.  
Letting the shadow take control was _stupid._  
What an _idiot_ he was.

And now where was he? It certainly didn’t look like the Black Box.  
Just another empty, black  **void.**  
He was too tired to use any of his powers to escape wherever he was, if his powers even worked at all here.

He was so far away from his team with no way to signal them. At least they knew what to do if he disappeared.

Okay. Back up. Don’t panic, think.  
The last thing he remembered was the blinding blue light of his energy and his implant activating to transport him back to the eye realm.  
He was dead, obviously, but what happened? Where were the cold walls of his ship?

Wait…   
Blue ?

There- There was no way. That’s impossible!  
But it was the only explanation. Kodya must have enveloped him in a spell just before he died. And that made this..

His subconscious.

“...Shit.”

* * *

**There was nothing to do.**  
Nothing to do except walk aimlessly inside the empty void. It seemingly had solid ground if Gyrus didn’t think about it too hard, if he did then he would start to fall.

Eventually, Gyrus decided to pick a direction and just keep walking. If anything, it was something to work toward.

Things like hours, minutes, or even days had no meaning here, just as it had no meaning last time. The quiet gave him time to think.

What a mess this all was. Maybe he should have just listened to Masiosare instead of running off….

No. He stopped walking.  
Kodya was  _ alive. _  
Cib, Mimi, and the others were all safe, just.. unresponsive for the time being.  
He was  _ right _ to do what he did.

But that didn’t make him feel any less guilty, he thought as he started walking again. All those people in the Room of Swords must think of him as even more of a monster than before now. And who knows how Kodya felt about all this.

Thoughts like these plagued him as he continued on for what seemed like miles. He wondered if he should try to go back, pick a different direction maybe.

Then, distantly, he saw something. A faint  green glow.

He lurched forward in a mad sprint. He could have cried when he began to hear the familiar sound of boots on a metal floor.

Standing starkly against the black was a wall, a small section of the Black Box. The two doors present glowed bright green. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

Suddenly  **exhausted,** Gyrus flopped himself onto the wall. The feeling of something truly solid beneath him was  _ heaven. _

Part of him wanted to ask  _ what now, _ but he shut the thought out in favor of relishing in the small triumph.

* * *

**With everyone at lunch, it was quiet in the bedroom hallway.**  
Kodya pressed the button, and gestured Nephthys into the room. She entered and he followed, going up the stairs to retrieve the desk chair for her to sit in. Nephthys accepted the seat and Kodya laid down on the bed.

Nephthys rolled up beside him and took out an imaginary clipboard.  “So why don’t you tell Doctor Nephthys more about what’s been bothering you lately?” She smiled.

Kodya sat up slightly and gave her an unimpressed look.  “What, are you my therapist now?”

Nephthys giggled.  “ _You_ were the one who laid down like I _was_ one.”

Kodya gave a  _ huff _ , but laid back down. He ran a hand through his hair.  “I don’t know, Neph. This is all so weird.”

“You said earlier that the thing you saw had never been so close before. What did it look like?”

“It was… the outline of a person. Barely there, like a ghost. It-” He stopped himself, looking away slightly.  “Nevermind.”

Nephthys was intrigued at this.  “Go on. What?”

“It's nothing, really.”

Stubborn, she replied,  “Kody, obviously it's not nothing. Just tell me!”

“Alright.”  He sighed. “It touched my hand.”

Nephthys quirked an eyebrow.  “That doesn’t seem like-”  She gasped, standing. “It didn’t hurt you, did it!?” She checked him for any injuries.

Kodya started.  “No! No, nothing like that..”  Nephthys gave a confused look. “It… It  _ held _ my hand.”

“Kody… Do you..”

He turned away,  **waiting** for  _ something _ . Laughter, a reprimand, he didn’t know what. Nephthys’ eyes lit up.

“...Have a ghost admirer?”

**Author's Note:**

> There it is!! I am a huge sucker for "This character is a ghost now" stories so this was really fun to write! I'll post here when chapters are complete, but if you check the doc every so often, I might have gotten a little further in the story


End file.
